Best of '06 - Funny Books
What's that you say? I should be drawing instead of posting to my blog? Why I do believe it's none of your business what I choose to do! So suck it.
As the best of '06 continues on unabated, today we turn our attention to comic books. Comics continue to prove that they are a viable literary component and just as influencial on society as other aspects of the entertainment industry. So what made my socks rock this year?
Most Bizarrely Cool Moment: Batman fighting a bunch of Ninja Man-Bats. Do I even need to say anymore?
Most Insanely Cool Moment: Captain America's escape from SHIELD in Civil War #1. Man, if there was ever any doubt how freakin' awesome Captain America is, this moment will put it to rest. Not only does he battle through a gaggle of SHIELD Agents trained to take down superheroes, he jumps out of the SHIELD Helicarrier, lands on a F-22 Raptor Jet and escapes ucompletely unscathed. Take that, enemies of liberty!
Most Insane Moment: Superboy Prime decimating half the DCU. This kid just seemed a little whiny and impatient until Infinite Crisis #4. Then he decided to confront the real Superboy about his lack of inaction. One huge brawl later and a bunch of other supergroups decide to get involved. Little to they know that Prime isn't against using force to protect himself. He brually murders several heroes before being flung into the speedforce by the Flashes. When he returns in issue 6, he's ready for a rematch with the regular Superboy resulting in that character's death. Prime's fury continues in the final issue, killing Green Lanterns on his way to try and destroy the universe. Hopefully during his stay in the Green Lanterns' prison he'll get some psychotherapy.
Most Overrated Artist: Michael Turner. Although I recognize that he does have talent and can draw some attractive women, Turner really needs to work on his backgrounds and his anatomy. Why Marvel and DC are so ga-ga over his painful covers is a mystery to me.
Most Overrated Writer: Brian Michael Bendis. Bendis is an anomoly to me. I like his work for the most part, but it always seems to follow the same formula; lotsa words, mystery, more words, plot twist, more words, euphanism for penis, let-down finale. Maybe he's working on too many books right now or maybe he's still upset that he didn't get to write Civil War. Whatever it is, I'd like to see a return to the rebel Bendis, who took more chances and wasn't so caught up in making changes to established characters just for change sake.
Most Underrated Artist: Ivan Reis. This guy pinch-hit on Infinite Crisis and was a welcome addition to the book. His current work on Green Lantern is clean and exciting. His style is reminicient of Jim Lee and Phil Jimenez with its own unique qualities. Hopefully he'll be on GL for some time before getting an even bigger gig.
Most Underrated Writer: Greg Pak. His storyline for Planet Hulk is far stronger than he gets credit for. Merging a variety of characters and giving each one a unique voice is talent enough, but making the Hulk both sympathetic and a raging monster takes real effort, and it's in fine display here.
Best Artist: Steve McNiven. Wizard also named him artist of the year and with good cause. McNiven's been knocking it out of the park since he started on Marvel Knights 4. With his current stint on Civil War breaking sales records, he's easily solidified himself as one of the top artists in the biz. His work is unique and dynamic, and he brings a level of detail to every character that makes them jump off the page. He is just as adept on smaller, more intimate scenes as he is on giant splash pages. And he resides in my hometown!
Best Writer: Geoff Johns. There are a lot of great writers out there today. Grant Morrison, Brian K. Vaughan, Joss Whedon, Ed Brubaker and Brad Meltzer all deliver A+ work consistantly, but for sheer number of quality titles over the past year, Johns takes the gold. As the architect for Infinite Crisis, Johns crafted an intricate and exciting event and helped set the bar for the current state of the DCU. He also currently writes Green Lantern, Teen Titans and the newly-launched Justice Society of America. Not only that, he also co-writes the weekly 52 comic and Action Comics with Richard Donner. Quantity is not why Johns is above the rest; his writing is excellent. He is a dream comic writer, referencing the past while pushing and evolving characters we know and love. No one writer is as integral to DC's current success as Johns is, and they continue to give him room to breathe within the sandbox.
Best Single Issue: Justice League #1. When it was announced that Brad Meltzer would be writing the re-launch of DC's premier super-team, fanboys everywhere foamed in anticipation. His literary pacing and expansive knowledge of DC history and its characters helped make his work on Identity Crisis in 2004 a huge success. I can safely say that there was no better person to take on the League. Like any good writer, he slyly placed the focus in isse #1 on secondary characters, particularly the Red Tornado, while leaving the main characters to vote on membership into the new League. Not only do we gain insight into these people, but why some of these so-called 'B and C-list heroes' are in this new iteration of the League. Meltzer not only crafts an interesting beginning to his story-arc, but throws in many concepts we hope he gets to explore in the next 11 issues of his run. Ed Benes, his artist of choice, is spot-on in his work here. Known mainly for his sexy Birds of Prey art, Benes is at the top of his game here and a pitch perfect choice for Meltzer's wingman. Sandra Hope's inks are, as always, dynamic and the colors by Alex Sinclair jump off the page. Complaints of Meltzer's pacing are unwarranted here. Although it's nice to see lots of action, the new DCU is a place of characters and stories, not mindless fights, and the writer treats the story like any good novel in building his world. With 4 issues out, this is shaping up to be one of the best Justice League tales in recent memory and on the strength of the first issue, I can safely say that I'm in for the long run.
Best Mini-Series: Infinite Crisis. I was hoping Civil War would be finished by year's end to see how these two universe changing behemoths compared to one another as a whole. Fortunately Marvel pushed Civil War back to give Steve McNiven time to finish the work he started. It was a wise move, but it means that Infinite Crisis is left unapposed in this category.
As an unabashed superhero fan, Infinite Crisis is, to me, every reason why I started collecting comics again. This massive storyline, which only culminated in Infinite Crisis, was begun almost three years prior and spanned every single DC comic. At its core, Infinite Crisis is about the price of change and how too much change can cause people to loose sight of what's most important to them. Yes, there are deaths, and yes, there are huge battles here, but what's most compelling are the characters. Main villains Alexander Luthor and Superboy Prime only want to create the perfect world without conflict and pain, a place where they can live a relatively normal life. Both have no family, no home, no life to speak of. What motivates them is not evil intents, but those of justice and harmony.
Infinite Crisis is not perfect. The art changes halfway through, although relatively harmless, do take away from the impact of the story. The final issue's graphical glitches are much worse and taint what is otherwise a fine ending to this tale. These minor quibbles aside, this is DC at its finest. Geoff Johns, Phil Jimenez, Jerry Ordway, Ivan Reis, George Perez and Jim Lee crafted a massively entertaining storyline here, and now that the story is out in hardcover with the art problems fixed, it is a must buy even if you have the single issues.
Best Series: Astonishing X-Men. I've said it before and I'll say it again; this is the best thing on comic shelves right now. I don't usually make trips to the comic store in the middle of the week, but when Astonishing is out, I am there on Wednesday ready to dive right in. Just why this comic is so damned good is no one's surprise; Joss Whedon and John Cassiday. Whedon was born to write these characters. He brings so much depth and interest to these people we thought we already knew Marvel should have him on retainer as a consultant for the other X-writers. His most recent storyline, Hellfire and Brimstone, had The Hellfire Club (with Emma's help) lay waste to the team in an attempt to retrieve something of great importance to Cassandra Nova. Every issue had the reader on the edge of their seat as each member of the team was decimated. Logan thought he was his 12 year old self, Beast had gone feral and Cyclops had seemingly lost his optic blast ability. With only Kitty left to rescue the team, she had to use all her instincts and abilities to get the upper hand on Hellfire and save her friends. Alhough the ending leads right into Whedon and Cassiday's final arc, it's a fantastic way to close off this chapter in the tale. Whedon knows how to keep his audience coming back for more, and I assure you the frustration here is related only to how long one must wait for the next issue to come out.
John Cassiday is the other star here. His realistic portrayal of the X-Men and their enemies gives this book a theatrical quality not seen in most comic books. His work is so detailed that it's the rare occasion that this book comes out more than bi-monthly. Given the effort and execution here, I'd rather wait for over a month than have some fill-in work on the book. Whedon's work here is tied directly to Cassiday's art; at this point, one cannot work as well without the other.
I could go on and on about how much I like this book. In an industry filled with talent and quality, this is the benchmark. Anyone disappointed with X-Men: The Last Stand who hasn't read these books should go right now and buy the first collection of Whedon and Cassiday's run. Not only does it introduce characters and themes the filmmakers used in the movie, it's also better written, has better action and even looks better. No matter which way you look at it, Astonishing X-Men is a brilliant book.
Honourable Mentions: Ex Machina, 52, All-Star Superman, Action Comics, The Walking Dead, Batman, Green Lantern, 100 Bullets, Captain America, Daredevil (which I don't read, but hear amazing things about)
Well that's it until after Christmas! I'll see you all then for my look at Videogames and then sometime after that will be my wrap up, where I throw in any miscillanious stuff I forgot to mention already. Happy Ho-Ho!
-AT
As the best of '06 continues on unabated, today we turn our attention to comic books. Comics continue to prove that they are a viable literary component and just as influencial on society as other aspects of the entertainment industry. So what made my socks rock this year?
Most Bizarrely Cool Moment: Batman fighting a bunch of Ninja Man-Bats. Do I even need to say anymore?
Most Insanely Cool Moment: Captain America's escape from SHIELD in Civil War #1. Man, if there was ever any doubt how freakin' awesome Captain America is, this moment will put it to rest. Not only does he battle through a gaggle of SHIELD Agents trained to take down superheroes, he jumps out of the SHIELD Helicarrier, lands on a F-22 Raptor Jet and escapes ucompletely unscathed. Take that, enemies of liberty!
Most Insane Moment: Superboy Prime decimating half the DCU. This kid just seemed a little whiny and impatient until Infinite Crisis #4. Then he decided to confront the real Superboy about his lack of inaction. One huge brawl later and a bunch of other supergroups decide to get involved. Little to they know that Prime isn't against using force to protect himself. He brually murders several heroes before being flung into the speedforce by the Flashes. When he returns in issue 6, he's ready for a rematch with the regular Superboy resulting in that character's death. Prime's fury continues in the final issue, killing Green Lanterns on his way to try and destroy the universe. Hopefully during his stay in the Green Lanterns' prison he'll get some psychotherapy.
Most Overrated Artist: Michael Turner. Although I recognize that he does have talent and can draw some attractive women, Turner really needs to work on his backgrounds and his anatomy. Why Marvel and DC are so ga-ga over his painful covers is a mystery to me.
Most Overrated Writer: Brian Michael Bendis. Bendis is an anomoly to me. I like his work for the most part, but it always seems to follow the same formula; lotsa words, mystery, more words, plot twist, more words, euphanism for penis, let-down finale. Maybe he's working on too many books right now or maybe he's still upset that he didn't get to write Civil War. Whatever it is, I'd like to see a return to the rebel Bendis, who took more chances and wasn't so caught up in making changes to established characters just for change sake.
Most Underrated Artist: Ivan Reis. This guy pinch-hit on Infinite Crisis and was a welcome addition to the book. His current work on Green Lantern is clean and exciting. His style is reminicient of Jim Lee and Phil Jimenez with its own unique qualities. Hopefully he'll be on GL for some time before getting an even bigger gig.
Most Underrated Writer: Greg Pak. His storyline for Planet Hulk is far stronger than he gets credit for. Merging a variety of characters and giving each one a unique voice is talent enough, but making the Hulk both sympathetic and a raging monster takes real effort, and it's in fine display here.
Best Artist: Steve McNiven. Wizard also named him artist of the year and with good cause. McNiven's been knocking it out of the park since he started on Marvel Knights 4. With his current stint on Civil War breaking sales records, he's easily solidified himself as one of the top artists in the biz. His work is unique and dynamic, and he brings a level of detail to every character that makes them jump off the page. He is just as adept on smaller, more intimate scenes as he is on giant splash pages. And he resides in my hometown!
Best Writer: Geoff Johns. There are a lot of great writers out there today. Grant Morrison, Brian K. Vaughan, Joss Whedon, Ed Brubaker and Brad Meltzer all deliver A+ work consistantly, but for sheer number of quality titles over the past year, Johns takes the gold. As the architect for Infinite Crisis, Johns crafted an intricate and exciting event and helped set the bar for the current state of the DCU. He also currently writes Green Lantern, Teen Titans and the newly-launched Justice Society of America. Not only that, he also co-writes the weekly 52 comic and Action Comics with Richard Donner. Quantity is not why Johns is above the rest; his writing is excellent. He is a dream comic writer, referencing the past while pushing and evolving characters we know and love. No one writer is as integral to DC's current success as Johns is, and they continue to give him room to breathe within the sandbox.
Best Single Issue: Justice League #1. When it was announced that Brad Meltzer would be writing the re-launch of DC's premier super-team, fanboys everywhere foamed in anticipation. His literary pacing and expansive knowledge of DC history and its characters helped make his work on Identity Crisis in 2004 a huge success. I can safely say that there was no better person to take on the League. Like any good writer, he slyly placed the focus in isse #1 on secondary characters, particularly the Red Tornado, while leaving the main characters to vote on membership into the new League. Not only do we gain insight into these people, but why some of these so-called 'B and C-list heroes' are in this new iteration of the League. Meltzer not only crafts an interesting beginning to his story-arc, but throws in many concepts we hope he gets to explore in the next 11 issues of his run. Ed Benes, his artist of choice, is spot-on in his work here. Known mainly for his sexy Birds of Prey art, Benes is at the top of his game here and a pitch perfect choice for Meltzer's wingman. Sandra Hope's inks are, as always, dynamic and the colors by Alex Sinclair jump off the page. Complaints of Meltzer's pacing are unwarranted here. Although it's nice to see lots of action, the new DCU is a place of characters and stories, not mindless fights, and the writer treats the story like any good novel in building his world. With 4 issues out, this is shaping up to be one of the best Justice League tales in recent memory and on the strength of the first issue, I can safely say that I'm in for the long run.
Best Mini-Series: Infinite Crisis. I was hoping Civil War would be finished by year's end to see how these two universe changing behemoths compared to one another as a whole. Fortunately Marvel pushed Civil War back to give Steve McNiven time to finish the work he started. It was a wise move, but it means that Infinite Crisis is left unapposed in this category.
As an unabashed superhero fan, Infinite Crisis is, to me, every reason why I started collecting comics again. This massive storyline, which only culminated in Infinite Crisis, was begun almost three years prior and spanned every single DC comic. At its core, Infinite Crisis is about the price of change and how too much change can cause people to loose sight of what's most important to them. Yes, there are deaths, and yes, there are huge battles here, but what's most compelling are the characters. Main villains Alexander Luthor and Superboy Prime only want to create the perfect world without conflict and pain, a place where they can live a relatively normal life. Both have no family, no home, no life to speak of. What motivates them is not evil intents, but those of justice and harmony.
Infinite Crisis is not perfect. The art changes halfway through, although relatively harmless, do take away from the impact of the story. The final issue's graphical glitches are much worse and taint what is otherwise a fine ending to this tale. These minor quibbles aside, this is DC at its finest. Geoff Johns, Phil Jimenez, Jerry Ordway, Ivan Reis, George Perez and Jim Lee crafted a massively entertaining storyline here, and now that the story is out in hardcover with the art problems fixed, it is a must buy even if you have the single issues.
Best Series: Astonishing X-Men. I've said it before and I'll say it again; this is the best thing on comic shelves right now. I don't usually make trips to the comic store in the middle of the week, but when Astonishing is out, I am there on Wednesday ready to dive right in. Just why this comic is so damned good is no one's surprise; Joss Whedon and John Cassiday. Whedon was born to write these characters. He brings so much depth and interest to these people we thought we already knew Marvel should have him on retainer as a consultant for the other X-writers. His most recent storyline, Hellfire and Brimstone, had The Hellfire Club (with Emma's help) lay waste to the team in an attempt to retrieve something of great importance to Cassandra Nova. Every issue had the reader on the edge of their seat as each member of the team was decimated. Logan thought he was his 12 year old self, Beast had gone feral and Cyclops had seemingly lost his optic blast ability. With only Kitty left to rescue the team, she had to use all her instincts and abilities to get the upper hand on Hellfire and save her friends. Alhough the ending leads right into Whedon and Cassiday's final arc, it's a fantastic way to close off this chapter in the tale. Whedon knows how to keep his audience coming back for more, and I assure you the frustration here is related only to how long one must wait for the next issue to come out.
John Cassiday is the other star here. His realistic portrayal of the X-Men and their enemies gives this book a theatrical quality not seen in most comic books. His work is so detailed that it's the rare occasion that this book comes out more than bi-monthly. Given the effort and execution here, I'd rather wait for over a month than have some fill-in work on the book. Whedon's work here is tied directly to Cassiday's art; at this point, one cannot work as well without the other.
I could go on and on about how much I like this book. In an industry filled with talent and quality, this is the benchmark. Anyone disappointed with X-Men: The Last Stand who hasn't read these books should go right now and buy the first collection of Whedon and Cassiday's run. Not only does it introduce characters and themes the filmmakers used in the movie, it's also better written, has better action and even looks better. No matter which way you look at it, Astonishing X-Men is a brilliant book.
Honourable Mentions: Ex Machina, 52, All-Star Superman, Action Comics, The Walking Dead, Batman, Green Lantern, 100 Bullets, Captain America, Daredevil (which I don't read, but hear amazing things about)
Well that's it until after Christmas! I'll see you all then for my look at Videogames and then sometime after that will be my wrap up, where I throw in any miscillanious stuff I forgot to mention already. Happy Ho-Ho!
-AT